Chef Will Zuchman has mixed his fine-dining background and his love for creative food with the bar food concept at Two Bits.

How did you get into cooking?

I started washing dishes (at a restaurant) during high school. One day, my chef handed me a knife and said, “I need you cut this up.” So I started chopping and prepping. I always had a passion for food growing up. I was vegetarian for 21 years and pretty much was always in the kitchen. My parents are very creative — they’re both painters — and were always doing something fun in the kitchen. A lot of my family life was in the kitchen and dining room. I didn’t have any desire to be a chef when I was younger, but it was a natural thing.

How did you make your way to Two Bits?

I worked mostly in Philadelphia, New York and a little bit overseas. I was most recently the executive chef working for Stephen Starr. I worked at about 12 of his restaurants. I was looking for something new, and (in 2013) they approached me to come check out the Tin Roof (Group) concept. I came to Nashville and I love it.

What inspired you while making the menu?

It was a big challenge. I had never done a bar menu before. Most of my experience was casual fine dining to fine dining. I spoke with Bob (Franklin), who’s the CEO of Tin Roof. He laid out the concept of what this was going to be. It’s based on video games, craft beer and a creative menu. So I said, “Let’s have fun with it.” I try to base it off Southern-style food with an international twist. It’s in between bar food and casual dining.

Do you have a favorite dish there?

I would say the octopus is one of my favorite dishes. It’s crossing the barrier of fine dining and bar food, and it works well with the concept. It’s served with potato, olives, endive and tomato vinaigrette.

What’s new at Two Bits?

We just started a brunch menu a few weeks ago. There are some seasonal changes we’re working on. We’re constantly trying to evolve.

What’s your favorite tool and ingredient at the moment?

Of any tool I would consider my favorite, it would definitely be my knives. I treat them with utmost respect and care, and I pretty much use knives all the time. As far as technological tools, I’d say my Vitamix.

(For ingredient), it’s pretty much whatever I see that inspires me at the moment — like seasonal vegetables.

If you could cook for anyone, who would it be and what would you cook?

I’d like to cook for my mentors, chef (Masaharu) Morimoto, especially, and Jean-Marie Lacroix. As far as what I’d cook, I’d go to the market and find stuff and be creative.

What could we always find in your home refrigerator?

Definitely beer, I always have good cheeses, yogurt. I eat a lot of yogurt, fresh vegetables and a lot of leftovers.